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INDIANAPOLIS — Years ago, early in his NFL career, Matt Slauson told his wife, Cami, there were only three types of injuries that would make him stop, think, and seriously weigh his football future: His head, his neck, or his back.

Now that it's become his reality, he can’t stop dwelling on how much worse it could have been.

It was six days ago in Gillette Stadium, amidst the Colts’ 38-24 loss to the Patriots, that Slauson broke two vertebrae in his spine early in the third quarter. He remained in the game, lining up for all 83 of the team’s offensive snaps and five more on special teams. "Just tough as nails," coach Frank Reich said.

At the time, in the moment, as the Colts staged a gutsy rally that would get them within seven points early in fourth quarter, Slauson remained oblivious to the severity of what was at stake and the gamble he was taking.

So he did, telling the coaches on the sideline he was OK to play. And now he’s left to grapple with all he’s learned in recent days, and how close he could have come to a career-ending injury – or worse.

Much, much worse.

This wasn’t a broken leg or a torn ACL. This was a serious back injury that could have left Slauson in a wheelchair.

“I had no idea how close I was to changing my family’s life,” he said.

To this he’s asked if there was a chance – one awkward fall, one nasty hit – he could’ve been paralyzed. Slauson nods.

It’s clear that he’s shaken even speaking about it. Slauson is a nine-year league vet who’s played for four NFL teams, one of those grizzled trench warriors that grinds mostly in anonymity but does what it takes to win football games. He’s blocked for Mark Sanchez in New York, Jay Cutler in Chicago, Phillip Rivers in San Diego and L.A. And now Andrew Luck in Indianapolis. He’s started every one of the 113 games he’s played in in this league.

And that’s why the Colts brought him here. They signed Slauson to a one-year deal in the spring, betting on not just his ability to help a leaky offensive line better protect the pocket, but to show a young position group how to grow up fast. “We want you to lead,” the team told him in free agency.

So Slauson came here and did it. And alongside rookie Quenton Nelson, helped form the Colts’ best duo at guard in a decade.

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Then came Thursday night, and the ensuing medical evaluations, and the verdict that’s left Slauson rattled almost a week later.

“It does me no good to wrestle over (what could have happened), but I’ll be honest, it’s really hard not to think about it,” he admitted Wednesday.

Surgery isn’t needed – just rest. Slauson won’t be a candidate to return off the injured reserve list. Doctors have ordered three months of straight rest, then he’ll be evaluated further in January. By March he’ll be a free agent, and he made it clear he wants to stay in Indianapolis – “I can’t imagine playing anywhere else right now,” he said – but so much depends on his back, and his recovery, and his future.

And what his wife says.

The stunning part about this: Slauson’s watched the film, and when he’s asked if his performance against the Patriots dipped after the injury, he shakes his head. He still got the job done. Consider: the Colts ripped off almost 300 yards of offense and scored 21 points after halftime, when Slauson was playing in pain.

He was playing in pain, right?

“At this point, what’s pain?” Slauson says, staring at the floor.

So in an instant his role changes. No longer the veteran member of the offensive line, Slauson is now a coach of sorts. After the Colts personnel staff digested the news, they asked him to stick around for the rest of the season. They want him at practice, in the film sessions, on the sidelines, continuing to teach.

He was out there Wednesday at practice, drilling his teammates alongside head line coach Dave DeGuglielmo and assistant Bobby Johnson.

“I’m here to help those guys” – he means Ryan Kelly, the third-year center, and Nelson, the rookie left guard – “who are way more talented than I ever was. I’m just trying to help however I can.”

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Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) shows dejection after making an incomplete pass on a fourth down play with three minutes left in the fourth quarter at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018. The Colts lost to the Patriots, 24-38. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

The New England Patriots celebrate a touchdown by wide receiver Josh Gordon (10) in the fourth quarter at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018. The Colts lost to the Patriots, 24-38. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts running back Jordan Wilkins (20) shows dejection on the bench after his fumble in the third quarter at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Ryan Grant (11) stretches for the first down in the fourth quarter at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018. The Colts lost to the Patriots, 24-38. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts defensive back Clayton Geathers (26) is shaken up by a hit from New England Patriots running back Sony Michel (26), sending Geathers to concussion protocol, in the second quarter at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts defensive back Clayton Geathers (26) walks to be checked for a concussion after a collision with New England Patriots running back Sony Michel (26) in the second quarter at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts defensive end Jabaal Sheard (93) is seen in the second quarter of the game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday, Oct 4, 2018. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts defensive end Jihad Ward (51) is seen in the second quarter of the game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday, Oct 4, 2018. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts defensive back Clayton Geathers (26) waits in concussion protocol in the second quarter at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018. Geathers was shaken up in a collision with New England Patriots running back Sony Michel (26). Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts tight end Eric Ebron (85) grips the ball as he is brought down by New England Patriots defensive back Patrick Chung (23) and linebacker Elandon Roberts (52) in the first quarter at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts offensive tackle Anthony Castonzo (74) did not start in the game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018. Castonzo has been out due to a hamstring injury. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) sets up an offensive play against New England in the first quarter at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts defensive end Jabaal Sheard (93) tackles New England Patriots running back Sony Michel (26), who earned the first down in the first quarter at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Indianapolis Colts defensive end Margus Hunt (92) is seen in the second quarter of the game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday, Oct 4, 2018. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Members of the Indianapolis Colts defensive line are seen in the second quarter of the game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday, Oct 4, 2018. Matt Kryger/IndyStar